Florida State baseball excited for Opening Day

Seminoles begin season with weekend series against Rhode Island

Feb. 13, 2013

FSU pitcher Brandon Leibrandt will take the mound for Florida State against Rhode Island this Friday at 4:00 p.m at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles will face the Rams in two more games over the weekend; Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at noon. / Riley Shaaber/FSView

Written by

Perry Kostidakis

Senior Staff Writer @perrykos

After fall ball, drills and practices, the No. 8 Florida State baseball team kicks off its season Friday against the Rhode Island Rams, the first of a triple-header occuring this weekend.

“I see so many people saying, ‘we’re only a week away!’ and it’s fun that they’re looking forward to the opening of baseball season,” said head coach Mike Martin, who is entering his 34th season.

Anticipation is high for the team, which last year was one game away from clinching a spot in a national championship series, and it’ll all come to a start when the ’Noles and Rams meet on Friday.

Rhode Island, who did not make the NCAA Tournament last year, finished third in the Atlantic-10 Conference with a 33-25 record.

They’re a young team, with 17 freshmen to nine seniors, but they return with six position starters who are figured to be led by junior center fielder Jeff Roy, a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the 63rd best player in the nation by College Baseball Daily.

In 2012, Roy was either first or second on the team in every offensive statistical category, recording 84 hits, 59 runs, and earning a .421 average in A-10 games.

He’ll be facing off against a Florida State pitching rotation that hopes to be as successful in 2013 as it was in 2012, despite losing several players to graduation and preseason All-American sophomore pitcher Mike Compton to Tommy John surgery.

Sophomore Brandon Leibrandt, another preseason All-American who went 8-3 last year with an ERA of 2.82, will be the core of the pitching lineup and will start for the ’Noles on Friday.

Saturday will belong to senior Scott Sitz (4-3, 2.72), while junior Peter Miller (5-2, 3.89) will start Sunday after winning a position battle against sophomore Luke Weaver. Weaver will start next Tuesday against Jacksonville.

Freshman Jameis Winston, who is set to dominate Florida State sporting headlines for the next few months due to his double-sport life (Winston is figured to be in competition for the starting quarterback position this spring), was thought to be destined to have a role as a closer, but instead may see time in the outfield, his preferred position.

It’ll come down to either Winston or junior-college transfer Marcus Davis for the position at left field, and even if Winston clinches a starting role, he still may be called to close for the ’Noles.

“I think the game will dictate [who the closer is],” FSU pitching coach Mike Bell said. “You see nights in the big leagues where the closer has been used one or two different nights and they’ve got to have someone else close the game. Not to say it’s going to be best available option that night, but I think we are going to try to let the game dictate which way we go and I think we’ll see somebody rise to that occasion.”The Seminoles open play aginst Rhode Island Friday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m., and then play again Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m.